


Never Argue with Annabeth

by shiiki



Series: The Curse of Lethe [3]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-28
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2019-03-28 04:02:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13895820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shiiki/pseuds/shiiki
Summary: CoL outtake, written for myforevermoment's prompt:percy & annabeth having like their first real conversation with them being back home, alone, & with all Percy's memories back.





	Never Argue with Annabeth

There was nothing like being on the receiving end of a fatal curse, losing your memory, and traversing a place worse than hell to renew your appreciation for simple things.

Like the kiss of moonlight on the soft skin of the girl currently lying in Percy's bed, holding a book above her head to catch the light of the desk lamp.

Or really, just Annabeth herself. The fact that she was _there._ Not just physically, but also in his certainty of who she was and what she meant to him.

Percy didn’t want to take his eyes off her. It wasn’t just the fear of losing her. He was more afraid that if he looked away, she might evaporate from his memory.

'You're staring at me again,' Annabeth said without taking her eyes away from the book.

Percy's fingers played idly on her ankle. 'Can you blame me?'

Annabeth lowered the book and lifted her head to look at him sternly. 'We're supposed to be studying. We have a lot to catch up on.'

'I think this semester's a bust,' Percy said. 'I mean, I went and overhauled my course load and I'm never gonna be on track for a Marine Bio major by next year.'

Annabeth rolled over and propped herself up on her elbows. 'Hey,' she said, reaching for his hand, 'you're gonna get there, okay? Even if it's not this year, or the next--you'll get to wherever you need to be.'

'What makes you so sure?'

'Because you're you, Percy. If you set out to do something, you do it, even if it's not in the conventional way.'

'I think you're describing yourself, there.'

Annabeth punched him in the calf. 'Do you need examples?'

'Please.'

She sat up and crossed her legs so that they were sitting face to face. 'For starters, you made it out of Tartarus with your memories back.'

'That was all you. And Thalia. And Will and Nico.'

Annabeth shook her head. 'Who carried me across the River of Tartarus? Who fought back against Eris and killed her? Who took out the _arai_ and dragged me to safety?'

'Who got his damned memories wiped in the first place and dragged all of you through hell-- _again?_ ' Percy muttered.

'Who took a curse meant for _me?_ ' she countered. 'Stop being such a kelp-head and look at yourself for once, won't you?' Her eyes were at their stormiest, charged with electricity and purpose. It was her girl-on-a-mission look.

Percy shut up and listened.

'When I look at you,' Annabeth continued in a gentler tone, 'I see the kid who turned back to fight three Furies out for his blood rather than leave me and Grover to face them. I see the boy who snuck across the country to save me when everyone else thought I was dead. I see the man who got me through Tartarus and out of it the first time--after _I_ stupidly got myself pulled in, might I remind you? You don't have a monopoly on messing up, Percy. And when you set out to fix things--whether it's helping your friends or saving the world or just graduating high school--all of which you _did_ \--you fix them. Who cares if you break a few things along the way. _You fix them._ '

She placed her hands on his cheeks, the way she had when she was trying to snap him out of the awful visions Tartarus had given him. 'When I look at you, I see a hero.'

'I'm not a hero,' Percy murmured. 'I thought we figured that prophecy out long ago.'

'You're not _the_ hero,' Annabeth corrected. 'But you're _my_ hero.'

And as her arms found their way around his waist and pulled him down onto the bed with her, he remembered another thing he should really never forget: _Never, ever argue with Annabeth._  



End file.
